Never Again
by Shiny Umbreon245
Summary: This is the last book to my trilogy, the first book to this series is called Zoroark's New Life, and the second book is Kidnapped. So, if you haven't read them, I would advise you do before going on to this story. Anyway, After Salem/Annabelle finally escapes from Ghetsis's clutches with the help of N and Bronius, they start a new life and a new adventure.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, this is the third and last story to my trilogy, I hope y'all like this first chapter. Oh, and I don't own Pokemon**

**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

After our escape from Ghetsis, the Plasma members who followed N scattered.

As for us, Bronius brought us to a newly developed city called Aspertia.

Even though I've been out of that dreadful place for a little over a month, I still haven't entirely gotten used to the society I live in now. After a while, my broken bones healed nicely.

Every now and then, when we'd go out, getting a grip on everything would make me stressed out and I'd turn back into a Zorua.

When that happened in public, considering that some people noticed I had been talking, it was a little hard to cover up since Vortex explained that when Zorua's couldn't speak in human form, they taught me sign language to help out with that.

So, with the use of sign language, it made it a lot easier; people wouldn't think much of it when I switched forms.

Then one night, I had a horrible nightmare.

It was Ghetsis, and he was standing above me, a gun in his hands. When I looked behind him, I saw the corpses of my dead mother and my human father, Adrian, along with my real father and now added to that, N, Bronius and Vortex were added to the pile.

Ghetsis cocked the gun and aimed at me, a smirk on his face. "You never stood a chance. Did you think that I'd let you escape so easily? Look behind me and see your deceased friends and family. They've paid the price for defying me, and now that you've suffered, you will pay the price as well little Zorua. Now…DIE!"

I screamed as he fired and woke up screaming as well, my eyes tearing up as the dream lingered inside my mind. I was terrified, he would come back for us, I was sure of it.

N came running after my scream resonated within the house, dressed in his usual outfit.

"Salem! What's wrong? Why did you scream?" He came and sat on my bed, pulling me close and trying to calm me down, a worried look in his eyes.

"It was just a nightmare. I'm scared though N, what if he comes back for us? What, what if he comes back? He's killed my parents, what if he kills you, Bronius and Vortex too?" I started crying even harder as sunlight came in through my window.

"That'll never happen. He won't come after us. We're no use to him now; he has no reason to come back. I won't let happen to you." He said in a soothing voice.

"I'm not worried about me though, I'm afraid something will happen to you. I couldn't live with myself if something like that happened."

He didn't say anything and just tried to help me calm down.

Eventually, I stopped crying and tried to cheer up. I felt safe with my new family around me, I knew they wouldn't let anything happen to me as long as they lived, and I would do the same thing at the cost of my own life.

N smiled at me and grinned back.

"Are you ok now?"

"Yes, thank you N." I smiled.

I heard the front door open and Bronius appeared before us.

"N, may I speak with you for a moment?" He asked.

N nodded his head and smiled at me. "I'll be right back."

I nodded my head and after my bedroom door closed, I decided to get dressed.

I put on a long black-sleeved shirt and a pair of blue jeans, a pair of black sneakers and also a slate grey jacket as winter was fast approaching.

I opened my door and strayed into the kitchen, fixing me a bowl of cereal.

I finished and went to sit on the couch and soon enough, N and Bronius made an appearance and sat on the couch beside me.

"Hmm, hey Salem, I have a question for you." N turned his head toward me, a small smile coming across his face.

"What?" I tilted my head.

Right then, Vortex came bounding across the room and landed on my lap.

"Good morning Vortex." I laughed.

"Good morning Salem!"

Bronius cleared his throat. "Well then, N, I think you had something to ask Salem?"

"Yes." He nodded, stroking Vortex's fur.

"Salem, have you ever wanted a Pokémon of your own?"

I looked at him, surprised. "Um, but, wouldn't that be weird, I mean, for a Pokémon to have a Pokémon?"

Bronius interjected here. "Not at all, considering that you're also human as well."

"Well, what about the sign language? I'm supposed to use that in public in case I transform. I've seen both of you battle and you have to call out the attacks they use, how would I be able to do that with sign language?" I inquired.

N chuckled. "You don't have to use it all the time, it comes in handy though."

I thought about it for a minute. "Well, I guess it would be nice." I smiled down at Vortex.

"Well, now that that's settled, shall we go for a walk?" Bronius insisted.

I was getting suspicious of what was going on, but I nodded my head and N and me followed the older man outside.

Nothing was said as we all walked through the city and eventually came to Aspertia Lookout. When we managed to get to the top, there was a lone person standing at the far end.

She had blonde hair and was wearing bright green and orange clothing and a pair of red glasses.

N frowned. "There should be more people here."

I frowned, confused.

Just then, the sound of rushing footsteps sounded toward us and a startled yell came from behind me.

We turned too late as 3 teenagers toppled on top of N and me, apparently one of them tripped.

I recognized them; their names were Hugh, Nate and Rosa.

Hugh had dark blue hair, red eyes and was wearing jeans, a red and white jacket and black gloves with the fingers cut out of them.

Nate had brown hair and eyes, and wore a red visor with a white Pokéball in the middle of it. He wore a blue jacket with white shorts and what looked like black leggings under them. He carried a white bag with him.

Rosa had brown hair that was kept in buns on both sides of her head with long strands of hair that came out of the buns. She had blue eyes and wore a white shirt with blue sleeves that had a Pokéball on it, a short yellow skirt with black leggings, a white and pink visor-like hat on her head and blue and white sneakers with yellow laces.

We all got up and groaned. I rubbed my head; I hit it on the cement from the fall.

"I'm sorry, N, Salem, I tripped on the last stair and caused all of us to fall." Rosa apologized.

Hugh and Nate apologized as well.

"It's alright, no harm done." N smiled.

Rosa blushed and looked away, I could tell she liked N, and Nate frowned, he didn't seem to like her response.

"So, you must be Nate, Rosa, Hugh, and Salem, correct? My name is Bianca, it's a pleasure to meet you all." She beamed.

We nodded our heads and smiled back at her while N and Bronius, who had been talking to Bianca during our little episode, and stood to the side.

She pulled out two long containers and opened them up. Inside each one were three Pokéballs.

Then, she set the containers beside her and took out each one, letting out the Pokémon inside them in a bright flash of white.

There were two of each Pokémon that came out, two otter looking ones, two pigs and two snakes.

"This is Snivy, the Grass Type starter." She said while pointed to the little green snake.

"This is Tepig, the Fire Type starter." She pointed to the pig.

"And this one is Oshawott, the Water starter." She finally pointed to the little blue and white otter.

"Now, pick whichever one you want."

I looked over the little Pokémon, all of them looked really cute. My eyes settled on one of the Snivy, I had always been fond of snakes.

I picked up one of them as Hugh picked up the other Snivy, Nate took one of the Tepigs, and Rosa took an Oshawott.

"Hello Snivy, it's nice to meet you, my name is Salem." I greeted it.

The Grass Pokémon smiled up at me and spoke in a feminine voice. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Alright, now that you've chosen, would you like to give them names?"

I frowned. "Do you already have a name?"

The Snivy shook her head. "No, but you can give me one, I'd like that."

"Alright." I started thinking.

I finally thought up of one. "How about Zalin?"

She looked pleased with that and nodded her head.

"Ok, Zalin it is." I said.

I told Bianca the name of my Snivy, while Hugh, Nate, and Rosa decided not to name theirs.

She smiled and returned the remaining Pokémon to their Pokéballs and handed each of us the one belonged to each of our Pokémon along with five other Pokéballs as well.

"Now that you've chosen, there is something that I'd like to ask all of you. Do you know what a Pokédex is?"

We shook our heads.

"Well, a Pokédex is a small device, it's like a high-tech encyclopedia that tells you all about the Pokémon you've seen. It's a handy thing to have while going on a journey." She explained.

"Since I've now explained it, would each of you like your own Pokédex?" She asked.

I looked toward N and Bronius for guidance; they smiled and gestured for me to accept if I wanted.

I nodded my head and she handed each of us a small device.

Mine was colored black and bright blue, Hugh's was red and dark blue, Nate's was blue and black and Rosa's was pink and black.

"Congratulations! You four are now officially Pokémon trainers!" She exclaimed as she handed out some licenses.

All of us were excited and after thanking Bianca, Nate, Hugh and Rosa went back to their homes to show their family.

"Congratulations Salem." N and Bronius said, walking up to me.

"Thank you. N, Bronius, this is Zalin." I smiled.

N patted her head. "It's nice to meet you Zalin."

"Nice to meet you too N." She replied.

We made our way home and I sat down on the couch with Zalin in my lap.

"Hey Salem, could we talk to you for a minute?" N motioned me over to where he and Bronius were.

"Sure." I told them.

I put Zalin down. "I'll be right back." I told her.

"Ok." As I left, Vortex came up to her and began talking to her.

The three of us went outside for a minute.

"Salem, we should probably show Zalin your Zorua form, it'd probably be best than to hide it from her." The older man said.

I frowned. "I didn't even think about that."

"Yes, Bronius is probably right, it wouldn't be right to hide it from family." N followed up.

"Alright, should we go inside now?" I asked.

N nodded and we went back into the living room where I left Zalin and Vortex.

"Hey Zalin, we need to show you something real quick." N said.

The snake tilted her head. "Alright."

I don't think she realized that we could understand her, but that would be cleared up in a minute.

"Um…alright, I guess I'll do it now." I said nervously.

Then, right before her eyes, I transformed into a Zorua.

"What the hell?" She said, surprised.

"Yea, I'm a Pokémon too."

She just stared at me.

N interjected. "Salem is both human and Pokémon. Originally, she was a Pokémon, but was turned into a human by the Pokémon Mew to escape from my father along with her mother when she was a baby. Mew took them to another world where Pokémon never existed but my father had somehow found a way to get to them. In the end, before departing from that world, he killed Salem's mother Zoroark and her human father, and took Salem to this world. After a while, without my knowing, my father kept her imprisoned in the castle I lived in and eventually tried to return her to her original form, but, with my interjection, I stopped the experiment and Salem ended up being human and Pokémon instead of just either one."

Zalin looked at me after hearing the story, still trying to digest what had happened to me. "I'm sorry about your mother and fathers."

I half smiled at her response.

"So, are you ok with her being a Pokémon as well?" Bronius asked.

After a few minutes she nodded her head. "Yes."

"Oh, another thing, I can actually understand Pokémon speech, I thought I should tell you that as well." N told Zalin.

Considering the news she just heard about me, Zalin didn't really seem surprised at what N had said and just nodded her head.

I turned back into my human form and sat on the couch.

"Hey, getting a Pokédex and Snivy, that was all planned wasn't it?" I asked. I had thought about it. After all, why would she have brought two of each of the three Pokémon if there were only going to be three people, and the Pokédex as well, wouldn't she have only brought the ones for Hugh, Nate and Rosa?

Bronius laughed. "Yes, it was."

"Now, the question is, would you like to journey across Unova? You could get a better feeling of your new surroundings that way." N asked.

I thought about it. He was right, it probably would be a good idea since the only place I knew of this region was Aspertia. "Yes, that would be nice." I smiled.

N gave me a crooked smile. "Alright then, we'll leave tomorrow."

It was the start of my life; it was the start of new adventure.

**Please Review**


	2. Chapter 2: A Journey's Start

**I'm baaackk! :D I hope y'all enjoyed a wonderful summer vacation. School has started once again and I'm a senior. Now, I don't know when I'll actually be able to update, since I got school work and it's marching season now for us band folk. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter, and for any other band geeks out there that might be readin this, I hope y'all have an awesome marching season and good luck to you all at competitions! Hope everyone has a good school year! Also, as you can see I've changed the title of the story, I prefer this one much better, I didn't like the original one but I couldn't think of anything else, and I don't own Pokemon. **

**Chapter 2: A Journey's Start**

I woke up the next morning to my alarm.

Turning it off, I sleepily got out of bed and started getting dressed.

This time I put on a black shirt with a skull in the middle of it, a pair of blue jeans, my black converse, and my grey jacket. I then put my hair up into a ponytail using a teal bangle.

I started packing my supplies for the trip. I put in two sets of my usual outfit in it, as well as personal hygiene equipment such as a toothbrush and other things.

Finally, I put my sleeping bag in and went to the living room and sat down.

Not too long after though my stomach decided that it was hungry.

After sitting down with a bowl of cereal, N decided to make an entrance.

"Good morning N." I said.

"Good morning Salem." He smiled, fixing his own breakfast.

When we were finished, I cleaned up our dishes and put them away.

"Have you gotten everything packed and ready?" N asked.

"Yep, everything's ready to go." I smiled.

Zalin and Vortex came into the kitchen and I fixed both of them some Pokémon food and began munching away.

"Good morning Zalin, Vortex."

"Good morning." They said in unison.

N and I went into the living room to wait on Bronius.

Soon enough, the older man came in with a gift box in his hands.

"Salem, this is for you." He handed me the box.

I wasn't really too fond of people giving me presents since I didn't really want anyone to spend unnecessary money on me, but since it was Bronius I decided I wouldn't complain.

Opening it, the box revealed a small device.

"What is it?" I asked, taking it out and examining it.

"It's an Xtransceiver, a calling device you can use to contact us in case you and N get separated or if you decided to call and check in with me." He explained.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" N frowned.

"No, I'm too old to be traveling any longer at this age, I'll just stay here and keep an eye on the house." He said.

"…Alright, if you insist on staying here then there's nothing we can do." N sighed.

"Are you sure you'll be ok by yourself?" I asked with concern.

"Oh, I'll be fine Salem, now don't you two think you should be going? I'm sure your three friends are waiting for you." He told us.

"Yea, I guess." We grabbed our bags and Zalin climbed up onto my shoulder.

We came to the door and I hugged Bronius goodbye. "Bye, I'll miss you and thanks for the gift."

He chuckled. "I'll miss you too and you're welcome."

N and Bronius hugged and said their goodbyes as well and went outside to go and find our friends, with Zalin on my shoulder and Vortex in my arms.

On the outskirts of the city we found them waiting for us.

Hugh smiled at us as we approached them. "It's about time y'all showed up."

"Sorry for the wait." I apologized.

"Ah, it's ok really. Hey, why don't all of us register each other in our Xtransceivers so we can keep in touch." He suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea." Nate piped in while Rosa nodded her head.

When we finished registering each other, Nate furrowed his brows. "Does anyone know how to catch a Pokémon?"

Hugh, Rosa, and I all shook our heads, but N nodded and spoke up. "Yes, I can show you how to catch one."

"Cool, well lets go!" Rosa exclaimed and we made our way outside onto the path that would lead us to the next town.

"What Pokémon will you be using to catch one?" Nate asked.

N turned to him. "Well, if it's ok with Vortex, I'd like to use her."

"Vortex?" Hugh questioned.

I had forgotten that they didn't know who Vortex was; she usually kept herself hidden with illusions when out in public for some reason.

She decided to cast off the illusion this time so everyone could see her. "Right here."

"It's a Zorua." Nate said, surprised at her sudden appearance.

"Those are very rare to come by, how did you find it?" Hugh asked.

N smiled and pats Vortex's head. "I found her lost in the woods, she's been with me for quite a while."

They nodded and we began to search for wild Pokémon, but we hadn't come across any since we left.

"Where are all the Pokémon at?" Rosa questioned.

"I'm not sure, we'll just have to keep looking. Oh, and I almost forgot, have any of you tried using your Pokedex yet?" N asked.

We all shook our heads, we forgot to even try it and Bianca never showed us.

"All you have to do is point it at the Pokémon and will give you the information for each one. Try it on your Pokémon first." He explained.

Zalin hopped off my shoulder and the rest let their Pokémon out as well.

Next, we all took out our Pokedex's and pointed it to our Pokémon.

_"Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Cool, calm, and collected, Snivy uses photosynthesis to collect energy with the leaf on its tail."_

_ "Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon. Normally, fire shoots out of Tepig's snout, but it shoots out smoke instead when it is feeling ill." _

_ "Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. Oshawott attacks and defends using the scalchop that can be removed from its stomach."_

_ "Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon. Zorua hides its true form by changing its shape into people and Pokémon, and loves to surprise people."_

Each one said in a robotic voice.

"Good, now let's find ourselves a friend." N smiled.

Not long after that, a bush started to rustle.

Then, a purple cat came out of it and started walking by.

I pointed the Pokedex at it.

_"Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon. Purrloin fools people into letting their guard down so it can steal their possessions. When angered, it uses its claws to fight back." _

"Alright, now I'll try and catch her." N said

Vortex ran over to stand by N and waited.

"Use Shadow Ball!" He exclaimed.

Vortex opened her mouth and a dark ball of energy formed. She then fired it at the unsuspecting cat.

It backed up a bit from surprise but seemed unaffected by it.

"When battling, it's good to know your type advantages and disadvantages. Purrloin is a Dark Type and Shadow Ball is a Ghost Type move so it won't do too much damage, and the same goes for Dark Type moves as well. Psychic moves won't affect it at all. The only types that a Dark Type has a weakness to are Bug and Fighting. Any other moves will do neutral damage." He explained.

To be honest I was a little confused since I hadn't grown up here my whole life and have only lived outside of the castle for a little over a month.

"Now Vortex, use Fury Swipes!"

The Purrloin now had its undivided attention on Vortex.

Vortex ran over to it and prepared to strike it with her claws, but the purple cat jumped out of the way in time, but Vortex kept following her until eventually she landed a few hits on the cat.

It hissed in pain and swiped its claws against Vortex's side and fell over in exhaustion, having used up the rest of her energy for that one attack.

N took out a Pokeball. "Now for the catch."

He threw it at the Purrloin and bounced off its body and opened up, the cat disappearing inside the ball, closing, and landing on the ground.

It started to shake and soon it stopped and a hollow 'ding' followed after.

He picked it up, but it disappeared after that.

"Where did it go?" I was highly confused; none of N's other Pokeballs ever disappeared.

"It went to the PC. You can only carry up to six Pokémon at a time, so if you catch anymore than that they automatically get sent to the PC."

I nodded, going along with it.

After that, we made our way onwards and soon I started to hear voices.

Up ahead there were four different Pokémon.

There was a small dog, a chipmunk, another Purrloin, and a pigeon.

_"Lillipup, the Puppy Pokémon. The long hair covering Lillipup's face is an excellent radar, which senses conditions in the surrounding area."_

_ "Patrat, the Scout Pokémon. Extremely cautious, one of them will always be on the lookout, but it won't notice a foe coming from behind."_

_ "Pidove, the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. A Pidove flocks cooing can get extremely noisy. Pidove is not attracted to shiny objects."_

The Lillipup, Patrat, and Pidove were playing, chasing each other around while the Purrloin sat back and watched them.

"You can't catch me!" The Lillipup laughed in a young male voice, looking behind him to see the Patrat and Pidove chasing after him.

The little puppy turned his head back and before he could stop himself, he ran head first into a tree.

He slumped to the ground in a daze and the other Pokémon started laughing.

A smile crept onto my face. They were all so cute, especially the little Lillipup.

N turned to us. "Would you like to catch any of them?"

I nodded. "I'd like to be friends with the Lillipup."

"I'll take the Pidove." Hugh smiled.

"Patrat." Nate decided.

"That just leaves Purrloin." Rosa nodded.

"Alright, go ahead." He gestured to us.

Zalin hopped down from my shoulder to stand in front of me, as did Hugh's, Nate's, and Rosa's Pokémon as well.

"Um…I don't know what moves she knows." I looked at N.

He chuckled. "Look it up in your Pokedex, it should give you all the information you have for Zalin."

I got out the Pokedex again and found out that she knows Tackle and Leer.

The other three had already started battling and the Lillipup was looking around frantically.

"Zalin, um…use Tackle." I was unsure of myself as the female snake ran with incredible speed and tackled the puppy, sending it back into the tree.

He got up and growled, shaking his head.

This time the Lillipup rammed into Zalin with his own Tackle, throwing the snake to the ground.

I flinched and Zalin got back up. "Use Leer!" I didn't know what that move would do so I wanted to try it out.

Zalin glared at the Lillipup and a blue light surrounded it, something I had learned was lowering its defense.

He went straight for Zalin again but she moved out of the way in time to avoid the charging pup.

He skidded to a stop and started to turn around when Zalin once again tackled him.

The Lillipup fell to the ground in exhaustion, not getting back up.

I looked at N, I felt bad for letting Zalin and the Lillipup getting hurt.

He gave me a soft smile and I pulled out one of the Pokeballs that N had given me before we left.

I threw it at the puppy and it bounced off.

It opened and the Lillipup disappeared inside it in a red energy.

It started shaking and eventually a hollow ding sounded and the sphere became still.

I walked over to it and picked it up along with Zalin.

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Floccesy Town Commotion

**I was actually able to update this sooner than expected, but then again, I have been looking forward to uploading these for the last couple of months so that's probably why I was able to. Anyways, this story is going to a combination of Black/White and Black2/White2 with some plot twists of course. Hope y'all enjoy it. Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. **

**Chapter 3: Floccesy Town Commotion**

Walking back to N, I noticed I was the last one that finished their battle.

"Good job Salem." They congratulated me.

I gave them a small smile.

We let our new friends and started to introduce ourselves, the Pokémon coming out in a burst of sparkling crystal blue energy.

The young Lillipup shook his head and looked confused, laying his eyes on me.

"Hello." I smiled softly and extended a hand toward him.

He sniffed my hand, looked confused for a minute and smiled back.

"Hi." He wagged his tail.

"My name is Salem, it's nice to meet you." I introduced myself.

"It's nice to meet you too, I'm Lillipup."

I pondered for a second. "May I give you a name?"

He nodded and I started thinking.

"Hm…how about Shiro?" I asked, finally coming up with one since I really didn't want to give him the generic names like Spot, Scruffy, or Fido.

The pup tilted his head to the side and finally smiled. "I like that!"

I smiled back, just like Zalin when I first met her, he had no idea that I could understand him, but with Hugh, Nate, and Rosa here, we couldn't tell him, so we'd have to wait till later.

I put Shiro back inside his ball when the others did started to do the same and we continued onwards.

Soon enough, we reached the edge of Floccesy Town.

I looked at my Xtransceiver; it had taken us close to three hours to make it here.

"Why don't we head to the Pokémon Center first? The Pokémon could use a break and rest up." N said.

We followed N to a building with a red roof and a giant P perched up on it, signifying that this was the Pokémon Center.

Walking inside, I noticed that there were a few people here and there, some in a lounging area, some in a cafeteria, and others were just standing around and talking.

At the very back behind a counter was a pink haired lady in a nurse's outfit with the brightest of smiles on her face.

N walked over to the counter and we followed suit.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center. My name is Nurse Joy, how may I help you?" She beamed.

"We'd like to heal our Pokémon please." Nate stated before N could.

"Alright, if you'll return your Pokémon to their balls, I'll take them in the back to let them heal up." She said.

Sadly I had to put Zalin up for the time being, but I'd het her out as soon as they were done.

All of us handed her the Pokeballs, including N, as Nurse Joy put them on a cart.

"Audino, would you please take these Pokémon to the healing area?" She called.

Out from behind a door came a pink and cream-colored Pokémon with blue eyes. It had floppy ears that had curled lower extensions. It also had a small lumpy tail that reminded me of a rabbits.

I pulled out the Pokedex and got its information.

_"Audino, the Hearing Pokémon. Audino can assess a Pokémon's overall physical condition and mood using its ears." _

It took the handle of the cart and pushed it through a pair of double doors.

"Do you need anything else?" She turned back to us.

"No ma'am." N shook his head.

"Alright, we'll let you know when your Pokémon are ready." She nodded and then disappeared through the same double doors that the Audino had gone through earlier.

"Lets go sit down until they're finished?" N suggested.

"Alright." We nodded.

We found some vacant seats and we all sat down.

"So, how do y'all like being Pokémon Trainers?"

"It's great, I can't wait to meet lots of new Pokémon!" Rosa exclaimed, Hugh and Nate nodded with her.

"It's kind of overwhelming, I mean, it's cool and all, but what worries me is hurting the Pokémon like what happened Zalin and Shiro." I said.

"That's understandable, of course I feel the same way, but this is what a Pokémon Trainer is like." N put his arm around my shoulder and gave me a hug, an understanding look in his eyes.

I gave him a half smile just as a ring sounded, meaning that the Pokémon were healed.

We thanked Nurse Joy and took he Pokeballs.

I let Zalin and Shiro out in a burst of sparkling crystal blue energy.

They both smiled at me and Zalin proceeded to climb onto my shoulder again.

Hugh, Nate, and Rosa decided to keep theirs in their Pokeballs.

"Hey, let's go look around town!" Rosa said, running out before any of us could speak.

We went outside and saw Rosa waiting for us.

"It looks like there's some kind of commotion going on in the square." She pointed to a group of people standing around in the middle of the square.

"Let's check it out." Nate said.

We went to the edge of the crowd and looked toward the open space in the middle but there was no one there.

Hugh caught the attention of a man standing next to us. "What's going on here?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know, supposed to be some kind of important speech."

A few minutes later the crowd grew hushed as several figures approached the space.

When they came into full view my heart stopped.

N stiffened and clenched his fists.

It was Ghetsis.

Along with him was the scientist known as Colress, who I now noticed had Internet Explorer hair, and a few Plasma Grunts that stood to the side.

Ghetsis looked through the crowd and his eyes settled on us.

I shuddered and N grew even more still as a quick malicious smirk crossed his face but just as quickly returned to a neutral expression as he tore his gaze from us to look at the rest of the crowd.

"Citizens of Floccesy Town, my name is Ghetsis. I am representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation. I am sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However…is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans…only assume that this is the truth?"  
Some people looked at each other and mumbled before Ghetsis continued his speech.

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers… They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work… Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

There were some more mumbling and uncertain looks.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

"Liberation!" I couldn't see who had said it, but the voice sounded somewhat feminine.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon… and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention." The vile man finished and bowed, the grunts picking up their flags and making a formation around Ghetsis.

They left, as did the crowd and our three companions, saying that they were going to look around.

I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible as well.

"Salem, let's go." N grabbed my hand and hurriedly walked in the direction of the Pokémon Center.

"Where do you think you're going?" An icy voice sounded.

We turned around quickly and I paled. It was Ghetsis and Colress, I had really hoped that they hadn't actually seen us, but I guess that was all for nothing.

I cringed away from them and N took me into him arms.

"What do you want?" He said darkly, matching Ghetsis's tone perfectly, pulling out Archeops's Pokeball.

"I just wanted to drop by and see how my darling son and little Salem were doing. Is that a crime?" He sneered.

Vortex and Zalin growled at him.

Zalin may not have seen him yet, but she knew by the way we were acting that it wasn't someone I wanted to be around.

"What's this? Is Salem a Trainer now too? Tell me, do they know what you are?" The red-eyed man taunted.

The Snivy crossed her arms. "Of course I do, now why don't you beat it before I kick your ass." I had no idea she had that kind of attitude.

Vines came out or her back, poised to attack.

Ghetsis seemed to get the message but only smirked. "Humph, what a pathetic little Pokémon you have there, got quite the attitude doesn't it? Now, why don't you two stop being so stiff, I'm not going to kill you, at least not today? I want you to see my plan succeed. Then, I'll make both of you suffer a slow and painful death, how does that sound?"

I shivered and N tightened his arms around me. "How will you do that? When we left, half of Team Plasma's grunts came with us, as well as most of the Seven Sages."

He smiled wickedly. "I may not have as many forces as I once did, but I still have another trick up my sleeve. Selena, won't you come here please?"

"Certainly father." A girl stepped out from behind him and I gasped.

She was the exact replica of N, a twin. The only difference was her clothes and the cold expression in her eyes.

I looked at N, for the first time he was actually at a loss for words. Surprise and bewilderment evident on his face.

"N, Salem, I would like to introduce you to Selena, the new Queen of Team Plasma."

"Hello dear brother, it's been a while." She said.

N stared at her. "Brother? I don't have any siblings."

Irritation fluttered on her face. "Of course you do. I'm your twin."

"I kept you two separated from the time you were 5, you used to play together all the time and wondered where she went when Selena disappeared. It looks like your memory is starting to falter." Ghetsis said.

"Selena, do you even know Ghetsis's real plans are?" I interrupted.

Said person looked at me with annoyance. "Of course I do, he didn't raise me to be a _fool_."

I was about to defend N, but shut my trap when he shook his head.

I couldn't believe that Selena was N's sister. They may the same, but everything else about them was the complete opposite.

While N was warm and kind, Selena was cruel and cold. Like father like daughter…

"Well, now that the interdictions are over and done with, I think it's time we leave, there are still lots of preparations to finish. Colress, do you have anything you want to say before we leave?" Ghetsis asked.

The scientist looked to him and then let his gaze fall on me with a calculating look. "Well, it seems our little test subject seems to be functioning properly even though it wasn't completed. I'd love to run some more tests, but evidently that's not possible at the moment. Oh well, let's be off." He sighed at the end, clearly disappointed that I wasn't his lab rat anymore.

I shivered and clung to N, I don't even want to think of what Colress would do if he managed to get his hands on me.

"Well, then, goodbye N, Salem, it was fun talking with you." Ghetsis turned around and started walking away, Colress following him.

"Goodbye dear brother. It was nice to meet you Salem, maybe we'll see each other again some day." Selena smirked, turning to follow her father.

I let out a shaky breath.

"Are you ok, Salem? I know how much you fear him…" N sounded shaken up and worried, looking at me with sadness.

A chill ran up my spine. "Yea…how about you?"

"I don't know…why don't we go and find the others now?"

He took my hand in his as we looked for the others, making sure not to let me out of his sight after what Colress said.

Floccesy was a small town, so it wasn't hard to go through the whole lot trying to look for our friends.

We found them in the Pokémon Center cafeteria eating, as it was now nighttime.

Hugh noticed us first as we approached the table. "What took you guys so long?"

"Sorry, we uh, got caught up with something…" I half smiled.

"It's fine, we got you guys some food if you're hungry."

We nodded our thanks and sat down to eat, making conversation with our three companions.

Finishing, we made our way to the desk where Nurse Joy was.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She smiled.

"We'd like to rent some rooms, please, if there are any available." N smiled back.

She nodded and pulled two room keys out. "There is one double and one triple left. Is this ok?"

"Yes ma'am, thank you very much. We'll return these in the morning." N said, taking the keys from her and giving one to Hugh.

"Have a goodnight." She said.

"You too."

We found our rooms and entered after saying goodnight to everyone.

N closed and locked the doors behind us and locked it so nobody could barge in on our conversation.

"Alright Shiro, we need to tell you something." I said, letting him out of the Pokeball.

The Lillipup jumped on the bed beside me, ready to listen.

I was nervous just like I was with Zalin, and would be with each Pokémon I would meet.

So, we told him about what all happened and showed him my Zorua side.

Shiro stared at me for a moment and sniffed me again.

Then, something clicked in his eyes. "I knew you smelled different!"

"Smell different?" I asked, confused.

"Yea, you don't smell normal like a Pokémon or a human. Your scent is all mixed up." He explained, wagging his tail.

I chuckled and looked at N who was smiling in amusement. "So, you're ok with me?"

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I?" He hopped into my lap.

I smiled at him.

After that, we all talked for a bit and finally went to bed.

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